ericsson



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

J. ERICSSON.

Steam Engine. No. 6,255. Patented Apr. 3, 1849.

2 Sheets-Sheet- '2.

J; ERICSSON.

Steam Engine.

No. 6,255. Patented Apr. 3,1849

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ERICSSON, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

EMPLOYMENT OF AN AUXILIARY ENGINE IN COMBINATION WITH .THECONDENSER-PUMP.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 6,255, dated April 3,1849.

To all whom it nuty concern:

Be it known thatLJOHN ERIoss0N,of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a Fresh-Water Apparatus for Steam Ships, Boats, andother Vessels Propelled by Steam- Engines; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principleor character which distinguishes it from all other things before known,and of the manner of making, constructing, and using the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section;Fig. 2, a cross-section of the condenser, taken at the line X X of Fig.1; and Fig. 3, a crosssection of the pumping part of the apparatus andthe auxiliary engine by which it is operated.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to condense the steam without admixturewith the condensing-water, that the water produced by the condensationmay 'be carried back to the boiler to prevent the evil consequencesarising from the use of Water that contains in solution or suspensionmineral or other solid matter, and to condense the steam which escapesfrom the safety valve, and also for the production of fresh water forany other use.

In my fresh water apparatus I use a tubular condenser, through the tubesof which the steam passes and is condensed by the cooling influence of acurrent of cold water taken from the outside of the vessel or ship andmade to pass outside of the tubes; and to this end the first part ofmy-invention consists in combiningthecondenser of a steam-engine for thepropelling of a ship or vessel with a pump which receives thecondensing-water from outside the ship or other vessel and causes it topass through the condenser, the said pump being operated, irrespectiveof the engine that propels the vessel, by means of an auxiliary engine,whereby the amount of con densation can be regulated independently ofthe working of the engine that propels the vessel.

The second part of my invention consists in connecting the condenserwith the boiler or boilers, or any part thereof, in addition to its ortheir connection with the exhaust of the engine when the pump whichcarries the l condensing-water through the condenser is operated by anauxiliary engine, by means of which double connection not only is theand produce fresh water for any purpose desired when the engine is notemployed for propelling the vessel; and the last part of my inventionconsists in connecting the tubes of the condenser with the cylinder orouter case thereof by connecting one or both of the diaphragms, to whichthe ends of the tubes are secured,with the outer cylinder or case bymeans of a ring and flange or the equivalent thereof, so that the saidring or flange may bend to adapt itself to the unequal contraction andexpansion of the tubes and cylinder or outer case of the condenser.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents a horizontal cylinder, withinwhich are arranged a series of small parallel tubes 1). One end of thesaid tubes is secured, in the usual way or any other desired andappropriate manner, to a diaphragm c, which has a turned flange throughwhich rivets or bolts 61 pass to secure it to the cylinder to, andwithin such distance of the head as to leave a sufficient space betweenit and the head 6 of the cylinder for two chambers f and g,

these two chambers being separated by a horizontal diaphragm orpartition h. The other ends of the tubes are in like manner secured toanother diaphragm 2' at the other end, which said diaphragm, instead ofbeing bolted directly to the end of the cylinder, in the usual way,isbolted to a ring j near its outer periphery, the inner periphery thereofbeing provided with a turned flange bolted to the end of the cylinder;but instead of this the end of the cylinder may be made with a flangecorresponding in size and form with this ring and the diaphragm boltedto its outer periphery. The said ring or flange should be slightlyconical or bent, that the diaphragm may be at some distance from the endof the cylinder, that it may move in and out to adapt itself to theunequal contraction and expansion of the tubes and cylinder by reason ofthe passage of the steam through the tubes and the water-for the condensation through the cylinder. A chamber 70 is formed at this end ofthe cylinder by means of a head Z, secured to' the diaphragm by means ofa double-flanged ring m and screw-bolts, that it may be removed to giveaccess to the tubes. a

The upper chamber f at the end of the cylinder first describedcommunicates by means of a pipe 7%, in any desired manner, with theexhaust-pipe of the engine, vand by another pipe n also with theescape-pipe of the boiler, and these connections should be governed byappropriate cocks or valves, so that either can be closed or opened atpleasure. Either of these connections being opened, the steam passesinto the chamber fithencethrough the range of tubes above thediaphragmior partition 72, to the chamberk at therother end, and thenceback through the lower range ofv tubes to the lower chamber g, whichcommunicates by meansof the pipe 0 with the air-pump and supply-pumps ofthe engine, or, this connection being closed, by

means. of a pipe 0, with any desired :recipicut with which the pipe 0may be connected. The directionof the passage of the steam and, theWater produced by its con: densation through the tubes is indicated bythe red arrows.

The steam in passing. through the tubes is condensed by the coolinginfluence, of acoustantcnrr'ent of cold-water which passes .outside ofthe tubes, and which travels in a direction the reverse of the currentof steam, as indicated bythe blackarrows, so that the steam as it partswith its caloric is constantly approach-ing acooler medium. The Waterfor the condensation is forced-into the cylinder a near the diaphragm 0through a pipep, and passes around the lower half of the series oftubes; until it strikes the other diaphragm thence it passes up aroundthe end ofa horizontal position plate q on the same plane p,

which plate q extends from the diaphragm c to within a short distance ofthe other diaphragm t, and from this the water passes around all theupper half of the tubes to the first, where it escapes at the topthrough a pipe 0", that discharges through the side of the vessel abovethe water-line.

Thewater for the condensation is impel-led throughthe condenser by arotating pump, the case sof which is provided with a tan-. gentialvpipe2, at the lower part connected with the pipe 1) by the condenser; andthis case is also provided with another pipe a, which extends from thecenter thereof to and through the side of the vessel, and so far down asto be always below the water-line, that the water may flow through it tothe inside of the pump-case. To the center of this case vis adapted ashaft 2;, the journalscof which run in appropriate boxes w w inthe case,and provided with stuffing-boxes to prevent the escape of water, and onthis shaft is a hub a: with four arms or vanes y accurately fitted tothe case, and yet to rotate without touching it. By the rotation ofthese arms or vanes the water is drawnin near the center and bycentrifugal force-carried out through. the tangential pipe t to andthrough the condenser,,

and the required rotation of the pump is given by an engine a, securedto the casing of the rotary pump, as represented in the drawings, andthe connecting-rod b, which is Jointed in the usual manner to thecross-head 0, takes hold of a crank d on the shaft of the pump,the saidshaft being in the usual manner provided with an eccentric e for workingthe valves of the engine a, which are not represented, as they may be onany of the known plans. The water-supply pump, which receives the waterfrom outside the vessel, and which is for that purpose belowthewaterline, is-provided with a valve f,-the stem g of which passesthrough stufling boxes and has a handle h, by means of which the pipecan be. closed at pleasure whenit becomes necessary to give access. tothe insideof the pump.

means of the auxiliaryengine whichoperates carried through the condenserindependently the vessel, and as a. necessary consequence the more thepropelling-engine labors by reason of head-winds or rough water" themore perfect will be the condensation and the vacuum thereby produced,thus increasing the power of the propelling-engine when power-is themost needed, whereas'if the current of cold Water were dependent on theworking'of the propellingengine the sum of the mass of water passingthrough the con denser would be'exactly in proportion to the motion ofthe engine, and therefore the con densation and vacuum would bedecreased in the ratio of the decreased motion of the propelling-engine.It will also be seen that by reason of the working of thepump whichimpe1sthe water for the condensation by means of an auxiliary engine-andthe double connection of the condenser with the wastepipe of the boileror boilers and with the exhaust of the propelling-engine whenever thesafety-valve, is opened the steam issu 'ing therefrom, instead ofbeingwasted, Wlll be carried through the condenser and con densed, to bereturned'to the boiler,- thus avoiding the necessity of a separatesupply of water to make up for the waste by the escape of steam from thesafety-va1ve,and that when the propelling-engine is atrest the condensercan be used for the distillation and production of fresh water for anydesired purpose ,on. board ship, for'the condenser is thus, whendesired, rendered entirely independent of the propellingeengine.

By passing the current of steam in a (111160 tion the reverse of thecurrent of condensing- Waterthe greatest amount of caloric is extractedwith the least amount of water. The condensing-water in its passagethrough the condenser never reaches the point of evapo- Fromtheforegoing it will be seen that by the pump a constant current of-cold'water isof the working of the: propelling-engine of ration, andtherefore mineral and othermatter held in solution will not be depositedto incrust the apparatus, and by insuring a constant and rapid currentof Water around the tubes the danger of unequal contraction andexpansion is reduced to the smallest amount, and so small as to preventall injurious effects by the mode above described of connecting one ofthe diaphragms, to which one end of the tubes are attached, with thecylinder by means of the conical or bent ring or flange.

Although I have described the use of a r0 tary pump operated by areciprocating en gine for impelling the condensing-Water through thecondenser, I do not wish to con finemyself to the use either of a rotarypump or a reciprocating engine for this pur pose, as a rotary engine maybe substituted for the reciprocating and a reciprocating pump for therotary; but I have described and represented this arrangement as the onewhich I have successfully essayed and deem the best. Nor do I wish toconfine myself to the position or construction of the condenser and itsconnections, as these may be variously modified so long as the principleof my invention or any essential part thereof is preserved.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the condenser of a steam-engine for the propellingof a ship or' other vessel with a pump that receives thecondensing=water from outside of the vessel and causes it to passthrough the condenser when the said pump is operated by an auX- iliaryengine, substantially as herein de scribed,

2. The double connection of the condenser that is, with the exhaust ofthe propellingengine and with the boiler=substantially as

